


Mercy

by notfromcold



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Early Days, M/M, and gentleness is defined by the circumstances, enemies to lovers is about intimacy, starting to become friends, the safety in knowing that your traveling companion is an honorable fighter, we killed each other many times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:40:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29710377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notfromcold/pseuds/notfromcold
Summary: Weeks after the siege of Jerusalem, Nico and Yusuf discuss the bases of trust.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48





	Mercy

Before they had horses, they walked, barely speaking to each other. Then they found horses and Nico grew faint with relief at the prospect of putting more distance between himself and the breached walls of Jerusalem, though he could not have said why. The night after they found the horses, he dreamed of the walls standing like a broken tooth against the landscape. Yusuf was watching him when he startled awake.

He did not know what Yusuf dreamed of but he could imagine it well enough.

Some weeks into their journey, Yusuf appeared to make a decision. He looked at Nico then sighed and said "I trust you, Nicolo di Genova."

"Why?" Nico asked, perhaps unwisely given the circumstances.

Yusuf sighed again. "When you killed me, you made it quick. I don't think you like making living things suffer. So, I trust you."

"You trust me because of how I killed you."

Yusuf looked amused. "I make decisions based on the available evidence."

"The evidence being that I killed you quickly."

"Correct."

Nico smiled at Yusuf's amused expression, feeling a bit uncertain, then grimaced. "I could hardly say the same. Some of those first deaths..."

Yusuf looked sheepish, then angry, then sad. Nico regretted the loss of his smile. "I didn't know what I was doing! I didn't know how to kill someone. I wasn't here to make war. I got caught up in it!" Eventually he added, "I did try to be merciful, once I knew how."

"It got better," Nico assured him, feeling lost. "It got ... easier. Obviously, I did intend to go to war. I intended to come all this way. I'm sorry that I'm part of the reason you became practiced enough in killing to learn how to be merciful."

Yusuf nodded. He looked pale and tired suddenly.

"I don't regret meeting you, though," Nico added.


End file.
